Railroad track-scale.



R. GRUNDMAN.

RAILROAD TRACK SCALE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17. \914.

1,168,496, Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

6 SHEETS-SHEET I.

[/4271 asses THE COLUMBIA PLANoan/mu co.. WASHINGTON, n. c.

' R. GRUNDMAN.

RAILROAD TRACK SCALE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 11. 1914.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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ffi'irzesses R. GRUNDMAN.

RAILRQAD TRACK SCALE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17. 1914.

Patented J an. 18, 1916.

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W202 asses THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON. D. c.

R. GRUNDMAN.

RAILROAD TRACK SCALE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 17. 1914.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

0722 asses THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH co WASHINGTON, n. c.

Patented J an. 18, 1916.-

6 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

a 9 .1 z [720672 Z02 THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH (20., WASHINGTON, D. C.

R. GRUNDMAN.

RAILROAD TRACK SCALE.

APPLICATION HLED NOV. 17. 1914.

Patented Jan. 18, 1916.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

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RUDOLF GRUNDMAN, CF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

RAILROAD TRACK-SCALE Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 18,1916.

Application filed November 17, 1914. Serial 130. 872,582.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RUDonr GRUNDMAN, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad Track- Scales, of which the following is a specification.

The main objects of this invention are to improve the construction of track scales to overcome their tendency to become inaccurate, due to jars received when loading or spotting cars thereon.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of bearing for the scale platform, saving the scale levers from lateral jars or endwise displacement during the process of weighing.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved arrangement of platform supporting levers and mechanism for transmitting movement from these levers to a scale beam, permitting exceedingly high multiplication in the levers which directly support the platform and permitting an improved arrangement of fulcrums and bearings for the levers, saving these levers from lateral strains due to impact on one side or the other of the scale when cars are rolled on the platform.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved construction of platform, permitting it to be slightly but uniformly flexible along its length and preventing it from being raised from its bearings at one point when supporting a heavy load at some other point.

Another object of the invention is to pro-- vide an improved dirt shield or cover for the slots in the scale deck, permitting consider able relative movement between the deck and live rails without interfering with the weighing operation.

An illustrative embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanying draw ings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section, partly broken away, and taken on the line AA of Fig. of one section of the improved scale. Fig. 2 is a plan View of the scale pit and scale levers mounted therein. Figs. 3 and 4 are longitudinal vertical sections partly broken awav, taken on the line B-B of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is plan view of the scale. Fig. 6 is a transverse section taken on the line C-C of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line D--D of Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line E-E of Fig. 2. Fi 9 is a detail of the platform frame. Figs. 10 and 11 are fragmentary details of the rail dirt shield. Figs. 12, 13 and i i are respectively end, side and plan views of a bearing between the platform and a main supporting lever.

Railroad track scales, as usually constructed, have the main bearings located in vertical alincment with the live rails mounted on the platform, subjecting the scale to uneven strains, as it is found that the load or force of the weight is not directly downward but spreads outwardly and therefore requires that the main platform bearings be located outside the plane, passing through the tracks. The present invention, having bearings arranged in the manner last mentioned, improves the suspension of the scale platform, preventing racking effects in the platform and its bearings and preventing undesired disturbances in the scale levers during the process of weighing.

In many track scales, the main supporting levers extend transversely of the scale platform and have a tendency to shift in their bearings as the result of impact of cars, usually in one direction, on the scale tracks. This shifting or kicking of the main levers and also of the middle extension levers especially, causes their pivots to wear sidewise, throwing them out of seal and changing distances between the pivotal centers. The pivots frequently become loose, especially when oiled, making the levers still further inaccurate.

Some scales are provided with main levers which extend longitudinally of the scale platform, but have not been arranged in a manner to overcome the defects mentioned, particularly when the so-called pipe levers are employed. These, because of the arrangement of the platform bearing pivot out of a..inement with the end bearings, are particularly subject to lateral or racking strains, when the wheels on one side of the car truck strike the platform track ahead of the wheels on the opposite side.

The common form of track scales having the main supporting levers running crosswise in the scale pit are objectionable because of their short length, the multiplication being low and bringing an undue load on the end extension and middle extension levers to which the main levers are directly connected. l'l liile cars are moving over the so; les, two trucks of two different cars get between the firs and second section, bringing a heavy load or unexpected strain on the main pivot of the middle extension lever, which, because the arrangement or multiplication, carries a large portion of the lead. A construction equently found in prior 'oad track scales, and which it is desired to improve. is that the platlorn'i girders runparali l with the track are either each no or when spliced, the splices a n ed elation, providing a ri; -atlorni. ll ith such arit 1 and that when one truck with a heavily is passing OVcl' the lo car niddle or" tile scale, it springs the platfora between the center sections, the ends of the platform rise and get loose on their bearings causing the next truck of the car to hit the loose end of the platform and wear the pivots considerably.

The present invention provides a substantially but not whol y rigid scale platform, being built in sections with the girder sections spliced or bolted together above the platform pivots. The splices of the two main longitudinal girders are in transversalinement, thus dividing the platform into a plurality l sections ano these sections provided with angular reinforcements, thus making each section of the platform exceedingly rigid While permitting said sections to have some extremely slight pivotal relative movement around tl e bolts in the splices immediately above the supporting bearings.

Referring to the drawings, particularly Fig. 8, a scale pit l is shown formed of concrete walls 2 and supporting embedded therein a plurality of rigid I-beams 3 extending transversely over the scale pit. These beams support the usual flooring or deck l carrying the dead rails 5 for permitting passage of cars without disturbing the scale. The deck d is provided with the longitudinal openings 6 through which the stands 7 ext-end for supporting the live rails 8. Stands 7 mounted on the platform 8.1, which in turn are supported by the olattorm girders 9. These girders are made or sections connected together by too splices 1 (Fig. 1) bolts being employed to secure the girder sections toge her in preference to rivets or other means preventing some slight relative movement between the sections. The splices in the two girc ers are in alinement transversely of the scale and the opposite girder section. are connected together by obliquely ex ending stays 11 (Fig 8 and 9). By this construction, the scale platform is divided into a plurality of rigid sections, said sections being secured together but hav ing an extremely slight relative hinge action under extremely heavy loads.

The platform bearings 1 are preferably located at the ends of the platform and ii mediately l crew the splices 10 in girders eight platform bearings being provided in the tour section scale shown in the drawin The bearings 12 comprise a plurality of uperi nposed ball bearings permitting a limited horizontal movement in any d 0- tion of the scale platform and having prac ically no tendency to tranobliquely directed j ar movements to the main supporting or multiplying levers 13. The lower bearing member l-l of bearings provided with a b-shaped recess 15 fl Ol' rest ing upon the usual knife edge 16 car ied by a lever 13. The bearing member 1% is provided with suitable s-ats for set of balls 17 of suitable number, preventing a relative tilting between the bearing members 14: and 1. Above the ball 17 is an intermediate bearing member 18 which receives the load of the scale platform through two balls 19 bet veen the member 18 and the bearing member 20 rigidly secured to girders 9. The intermediate bearing member 18 is made in two parts bolted together, as shown in Figs. 12 to ll to permit a slight relative movement between the two halves of the member 18, for the purpose of insuring that contact takes place between all oi the ba ls and the ball seats. In each bearii g the balls 19 are arranged in alinement transversely to knife edge 16, permitting some slight sidewisc tilting of the platform on balls 19 while bal 17 between the bearing members 18 and l are not arranged to permit of a relative tilting between the members and l Since ;O. the bearing member l-l may reel: in one direction over the knife edge and the platterm and bearing member 20 may rocl trans versely to such mov ment over tl'r balls 17,

a slight universal movement of the p atiorm without disturbing the supporting is provided for.

The main supporting levers 13 are provided with knife edges 20 extending across the split or forked ones of the lever and resting on the main lever bearing stands 21, and at their inner ends are provided with link connections to transverse levers By this means the inner ends of each pair of main levers 13 are connected to one common transverse lever 2*. These in turn are connected in pairs by loops lei- (liig. 3) to end nit transverse or and resting on the bearing stands 33 mounted on piers 34. The inner ends of the two midle extension levers 31 have link or loop connections 35 with a double loop 36 by which, as shown in Fig. 8, they are connected to transmit motion to a fifth lever 37, the latter being pivotally supported on its stand 38 and having steel yard rod connections 39 to a shelf lever 40, which in turn is connected by the beam rod 41 to the usual scale beam 42-.

The live rail openings 6 in platform 4 are as usual provided with upwardly extending flanges 43 (Fig. 10) at their sides to prevent dirt from working into the scale pit. The

live rails 8 carry dirt shield supports properly constructed to provide seats for angle lrons 45 carried by dirt shielcs 43.

The inner ends of the dirt shields bear upwardly on the underside of the head. By this arrangement the dirt shields may rest at a maximum height above the flanges or guard angles 43, permitting all necessary relative movement between the rails and the rigid deck 4. The dirt shields may freely rock upwardly if coal or other matter becomes lodged between the outer ends 47 of the dirt shields and deck 4 and under such circumstances the indication of the proper weight is not materially affected.

It may be seen from F 6 that the main bearings 1.2 of the scale platform are located outside of the vertical plane of rails 8 and also that rail stands 7 are suitably constructed to resist downward pressures extending obliquely toward the sides of the scale. Considerable trouble in rail scales has resulted from placing the main platform bearings directly below the live rails, as any slight displacement of the latter may cause the load to carry more or less outside of the main bearings, racking the entire structure and making it inaccurate.

The middle extension levers 31, as stated and shown in Fig. 4, have fulcrums midway of their lengths and do not carry an undue load as a high multiplication is provided in the main lever.

In the operation of the device, a load to be weighed by the scale is balanced by means of the usual weighing mechanism at the cale beam 42 and the system of levers connecting said beam with the scale platform. The lateral and longitudinal movements of the scale platform when cars are run thereon is limited by the ball recesses in bearings 12. If the platform tends to rock laterally in the direction of the length of knife edges 16 on main levers 13, the upper alined set of balls 19 provide for permitting such movement without transmitting it to the main 'lvcrs while the lower set of balls 17, by

transmitting the weight of the platform to the bearing member 14 at four points, prevents said bearing member from tilting on knife edge 16. Movement of the main levers caused by a weight on the scale is transmitted by the transverse levers 23 to the end extension levers 24, the latter by their link connections communicating the movement to the non-multiplying levers 31, which in turn communicate the motion to the fifth lever 37. Thus, the motion which occurs in the eight main levers, through a weight applied on the platform, is finally transmitted to the single lever 37 which is connected in the usual manner to the scale beam. 42.

From the foregoing, it may be seen that the present invention provides a scale having many refinements of construction not occurring in scales at present in use, and such features may be applied to advantage to many types of platform scales.

Although but one specific embodiment of this ii'lventic-n has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A weighing scale comprising walls forming a scale pit, multiplication levers fulcrumed in said pit and having connections for operating a scale beam, a platform supported by said levers, and a plurality of superposed ball bearings between said levers and platform.

2. A weighing scale comprising walls forming a scale pit, a platform supported therein, the supports for said platform including a plurality of pairs of multiplication levers extending longitudinally of the platform, common transverse levers, each of said pairs of multiplication levers being fulcrumed near their outer ends and connected at their inner ends to said common transverse levers, said transverse levers having connections for operating a scale beam.

3. A weighing scale comprising walls forming a scale pit, a platform supported therein, the supports for said platform including a plurality of pairs of multiplication levers extending longitudinally of the platform, common transverse levers, each of said pairs of multiplication levers being fulcrumed near their outer ends and connected at their inner ends to said common trans verse levers, said transverse levers having connections for operating a scale beam, said connections including end extension levers and non-multiplying middle extension levers respectively.

4. In a railway track scale, the combination of a scale beam, a platform, supports for said platform having connections for operating the scale beam, rails on said platform, a rigid deck having rail openings, and dirt shields pivoted to said rails and extending over said rail openings.

5. A weighing scale, comprising a scale (1 for sunt \u .w wh 1 L S 0.6mm 3 1 1 S 1 9b 1 1 b 1 G Y P G mud e G L CIR. 3h 1 a 1 t u 6 mm 11 1 3 av H 1 m 010 1 H V a m a 1 H 7 0 .lu e 3e 6 0h J L fi llru an u IJ "1 Q 0v 1 Q1 Q n d .L O n 1 6 11 01m... 3 1 D C S gfl 1 1.1 S gm H mhmm G im L 11 1 1r .n wbufi 1 7 L mm 1 1 1(. 1 1M 3 G n n T10 R qz L U m mwl 1 11M u 1 LIHLL 02L n1 -1 3 8 km w n a 2 no 1 b mu S 6 13 ca 1 C 1 u 0.110....U. O i 0 w e m 1 1C 1 m o 1 l A r.. 1 D H m 1 Q P .L. T 1. e SJU v S F Ct 6 O 7 S DH M 11 .W..@ m U 068 1S Y 1 V 0 0:6 mu NU l 1 f 0 S 1 r a P 8.3. 3 mi d H D n. E 1 E 1 H 1 S S O 11 3 D1QHH fid pb H Q 1 1 3 3 1. r! 11H C m 6 H 11 L 8 J C P d I n. T a n 5 J11 m w 3 M 3 1.11 1 l 1 .v 1 w m? TU 1 0 3 1 D 1 S l 1 10 U 70 .JCH19. beam and having bearin of balls consisting of a single row extending be obtained for five cents each, by add Gomrissionsr of Patents,

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Washington, D. (3. 

